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Ryan Tannehill: Final Word

I figured I'd make this thread here in the main forum to begin with, and then the mods can move it in the draft forum whenever they're ready.

A lot of people ask the question about Tannehill's leadership and command of the huddle. I'll say this... if you're looking for the type of quarterback who plays on the edge, barks at receivers, and displays leadership skills visibly, he's not that type of player.

He's very intelligent, respected by teammates and coaches, extremely disciplined, and has impeccable character. There are no red flags here whatsoever.

Mechanically, he needs some tweaking with his throwing arm. He has to get that throwing elbow up to where it's consistently at shoulder level. He gets a significant amout of passes batted down at the LOS because of it. More than you want to see. The other half of that is not staring down his intended target once he has to come off his initial progression. Defensive lineman are coached to get their hands up when they see you lock on, especially if they know they can't get to you. Manipulating passing lanes is one of the finer details of playing the position that comes with experience, which Tannehill doesn't have much of.

This throwing elbow drops even lower when he throws on the run, although it's obviously not as detrimental when there's green grass in front of you as opposed to 3 or 4 defensive linemen in your face. He throws well on the run despite this because he always makes sure his shoulders are square to the target before he turns it loose. This is a fundamental key for WCO quarterbacks who execute numerous sprint outs, bootlegs, and waggles.

He has the footwork of the various drops required of him ingrained. The 3 and 5 quick, 3 and 5 with a hitch, Drift Drop, etc.... he executes them all with efficient footwork. Keeps his head level and spine angle neutral during his drops from under center. This is probably his biggest plus in my opinion, and the reason he developed into a legitimate quarterback prospect as soon as he did after playing wide receiver.

The only issue I see with his footwork is when he has to come off his initial progression and move to #2 or #3. He doesn't always reset his feet, and this is where his accuracy suffers most.

Pocket presence. He has it. If he didn't, he wouldn't even be on my draft board. Period. Does a good job of keeping his eye level up while looking to extend plays with his feet. However, he doesn't really show the ability to squirt out of danger. If a defender gets a hand on him, he goes down easily. This is his game manager mentality that he developed as a Senior that he didn't have as a Junior, which I'll touch on later.

His worst tendancy in the pocket is to always drift straight backwards and throw off his back foot when pressure is in his face. Just looks completely unprepared for it most of the time.

Tannehill throws with good anticipation when he's required to get the ball out to his initial read the instant his back foot hits on a quick read when he knows he has single coverage on the outside. Most quarterbacks can anticipate these types of throws. Where he gets into trouble is when his initial progression isn't there and he has to come off of it, which I mentioned earlier. His anticipation drops in quality here because he's still not comfortable reading a defender's intent yet. It causes him to be late on a LOT of throws, and it's usually where he makes his biggest mistakes.

I've mentioned before several times that I thought he played better as a Junior than he did this year. He was much more impressive leading that Aggie team last year which is why I felt like he had 1st round potential. However, he looked more tentative as a Senior. He mentioned at his pro day that this was one of the the primary things he and Chris Weinke were working on - changing his tendancy to overthink and just trust his trigger. Let it go.

Rather than take over games like he did as a Junior, he seemed content as a Senior to just be a piece of the puzzle. There's a significant difference between his Junior tape and Senior tape. He was putting the team on his back last year, not just managing like he did this year. He made more mistakes, but he made them being aggressive and decisive. This year he made those mistakes being hesitant and undecisive. He wasn't as comfortable taking the game on his shoulders, and plenty of mental mistakes show up in his situational understanding of game. The drive to close the first half against Oklahoma that I pointed out a while back is one of the best examples of this.

The bottom line is, if he plays in the NFL like he did as a Senior, I have a hard time seeing him as anything more than a game manager... who folds up in crunch time, like he did this year.

There's plenty to like about him, but not in the top 10. He's not a franchise quarterback.

If it's me, I'm taking an elite player with that pick and not apologizing for doing it.

Interesting assessment, and I especially agree with your last sentence. A big part of me is hoping that the Browns reach for him at 4, or somebody jumps ahead and snatches him so we can just do what is right and take the best player currently on the board.

I don't think Tannehill is worthy of a top 10 pick by any means and if there wasn't a rookie salary cap I don't think there's any way a team would even think about taking him that high. Not having to pay out the wazoo for a top pick in the NFL now is making teams think it's ok to reach for QB's in hopes that they pan out because the financial investment isn't so scary if it doesn't work out.

My Offseason plan.... Get as many good football players as possible, The End.

He can be a very good starting qb..... I think your nitpicking, and ignoring alot of the positives....especially the oozing talent. No one said he was a finished product that will be ready day 1. You could make a very similar argument about Griffin.

I don't see the elite player of which you speak. Who is it ? If we view Tannehill as a very good starting QB in the future.... who is there that we just cant pass up for him ? Let's look at the big picture, the situation in its entirety. Blackmon, Richardson, and Claiborne wont be there.

Your proposing we pass on him for a sure thing at a far less valuable postion. You say BPA, i say its reaching for another need. This is the exact mentality that folks have been bitching about. Playing it safe, not showing any stones. You should know the draft is about Value. We're not settled at QB. Sure Decastro and Keuchly will be studs... Rieff will be good... but @ #8 you dont take a Guard or MLB, or RT, no matter how good they are. Floyd is Marshall all over again, doesnt fit the offensive philoshiphy. If they like Tannehill, theres not going to be a player there to make them re-consider.

We move Marshall for all the right reasons, miss out on ole' manning.. then when they dont overpay a backup qb : it's the last straw and jokers are protesting outside the stadium ! All brainwashed by the media. There's no pressure from within the walls of the office, it's all from the uneducated fanbase, and that's why a movement was made to inform the fans of what's going on, because all they had to go off of was the media.

I agree with the final word for the most part, but the only thing that makes me comfortable with Tannehill at #8 is that our OC was his college coach. If we didnt have that direct connection to Tannehill on our staff, I would be worried about drafting him at #8. If Miami takes him at #8, I'll be fine with it becauuse I trust that Sherman knows what we are getting more than anyone else.

Also, I think its strange that Tannehill's value has gone up because he's played less. People equate less playing time to more room for improvement and a higher ceiling. It seems backwards to me. We all know what happens to QB's who declare for the draft their junior year - they have a much higher rate of failure than QB's who stay in college for their senior year. Although Tannehill played his senior year, he's had about as much playing time as most junior QB's.

I agree with the OP...sadly. I don't see him as a top 10 pick and it looks as if the fins are in a situation where they may take him.

What I am assuming is that the dolphins are scouting for some sleepers deeper in the draft so they will be prepared for the chance that a Blackmon or Richardson falls to them if Cleveland reaches bigtime.

I'm still crushed that we are not getting RGIII. LOVED his interview with Gruden last night. He would be such a great talent to have in Miami.